The Empty Chair

Two Novellas

By: Bruce Wagner

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Paperback | 25 February 2015 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
304 Pages

Age
18+

Dimensions(cm)
20.4 x 13.0 x 1.7

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A profound and heartrending work of spiritual storytelling from the internationally acclaimed author of Dead Stars.

Bruce Wagner has called 'a visionary posing as a farceur' (Salman Rushdie) and an heir to Nathanael West. In The Empty Chair, he takes his storytelling in a radically new direction with two linked novellas. In First Guru, a gay Buddhist living in Big Sur achieves enlightenment in the horrific aftermath of his child's suicide. In Second Guru, Queenie, an aging wild child, returns to India to complete the spiritual journey of her youth.

Told in ravaged, sensuous detail to a fictional Wagner by two strangers on opposite sides of the country, years apart from each other, these stories illuminate the random, chaotic nature of human suffering and the miraculous strength of the human spirit.

About the Author

Bruce Wagner is the author of seven previous novels. He lives in Los Angeles.

Industry Reviews

"[Wagner] possesses a fluent ability to move aback and forth between the satiric and the sympathetic, the scabrous and the tender."
--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"Wagner's book deftly illustrates how the quest for spirituality and self-realization underscore one's understanding of the purpose of life."
--Publisher's Weekly

"While Wagner's trademark scathing satirical skills are in full force thanks to his sprightly word play and jaundiced observations, his purposeful exploration of the nature and importance of storytelling takes him in a subtly nuanced new direction."--Booklist

"Lushly embroidered with allusions to the Beat Generation...Wagner meditates on our fundamental cravings for connections--both human and divine--and meanings--both personal and cosmic--with wit, compassion and a sharp eye for the lies we tell ourselves."--Kirkus, STARRED review

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